The Netherlands defeated Portugal 1-0 to begin their Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign on Sunday at Dunedin stadium, New Zealand.
The Netherlands defended staunchly for the whole of the game thanks to Stefanie van der Gragt’s header in the 13th minute that separated the two teams.
The Dutch had many opportunities to increase their lead, but they were unable to score. Portugal, on the other hand, had trouble producing any decisive opportunities. Portugal failed to have single shot on goal in the first half
Just one goal separates @OranjeVrouwen and @SelecaoPortugal!
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 23, 2023
Can #POR stage a comeback with 10 minutes to play? 👀#FIFAWWC
The Netherlands edged Portugal in the European championship group stage by 3-2 a year ago but today they have no match for the Orange team and they didn’t have a single shot to the target till the 82nd minute.
The 30-year-old van der Gragt’s goal was the Women’s World Cup’s quickest opening goal. Van der Gragt wants to retire after the competition. The Dutch maintained control of the game’s pace; Portugal didn’t fire a shot until the 82nd minute.
“We celebrated the goal and then we saw the assistant referee, so we had to wait for the final decision,” Van der Gragt told reporters after she was named the player of the match.
“It’s always difficult to celebrate a second time but it was good. I’m really happy that we won, that was the most important thing today.”
Netherlands vs Portugal Final Score
| Team | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Final Score |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goal :
Netherlands : Stefanie van der Gragt’s : 13th minutes
The win moves the Netherlands to second place in Group E, behind the United States on goal difference. Portugal are in third place.